whoever disliked this is a drekhead

The Genesis version is what got me into RPGs originally. It was so mind blowing as kid.

I love that one of the first things that's likely going to happen to you when you first pick up the game is that a couple random street-punks are going to punch you and your holdout pistol straight into the hospital just for being out on the streets walking around, and then when you decide to go sleep it off in the cheap coffin motel some more street-punks are going to jump you and put you straight back in the hospital lmao Really sets the tone. Nice and gritty.

Shadowrun is awesome. I have a friend who writes for the newer Shadowrun books. It's really cool that he actually has some influence over the world's lore.

I've always been saddened that everyone remembers the Snes version but not this superior recreation of the ruleset. Glad you're covering it!

This game was so far ahead of its time. The storyline and gameplay was simply amazing!!! I would love for them to add this game on Android. Also a remake would be interesting too???

They really need to make this again, but modern! I love this game!

Loved adding Stark to my team for the few extra dialogue lines I would get in story mode. The firs RPG I really played and still my favorite

Shadowrun on Genesis is my favorite RPG of all time, and you absolutely nailed all of the ins and outs of the game, despite years of previous reviews and analyses here on KZfaq. Bravo! Funny that you mentioned always preferring the same 'Runners. I'm the same way over the years...I just tend to stick with Phantom and Winston, although using Freya and beefing up her Magic is sometimes really fun. This game occupies a highly nostalgic time period for me in the mid-90s. My cousin had obtained it as a gift, although it soon passed between me and another mutual friend like a village bicycle, being...uh..."used" a lot. We would constantly trade it back and forth over months, and I fondly recall many a late-night session with the acrid smell of burning sage to block out the smell of pot, so as to not alarm my buddy's mom that we were getting stoned in his bedroom. We would play it all night, and many a time would I drift off in my sleeping bag, only to hear within my lucid dreaming the sound of Renraku alarms before I would snap awake and see that my friend had tried and failed to disarm their security on the 5th floor, just before Hellhounds tore him a new one.

I am so with you on this. Shadowrun on Genesis is one of my favorite nostalgia trips. I too love the tabletop version, but I played the Genesis one first, and had the exact same, "Oh, I know exactly what to do here," feeling when transitioning to the "real" game. This is one of the few sandbox games I really enjoy. I've evolved my style of play over the years to take advantage of more and more cheese as I learned more about the game. I think last time I played it, I went solo. No party members at all. It was a blast. You can also sell first aid kits and stim patches to get around the back rent part if you use street sam or decker. But if you're a shaman, just sell your gun. What good is it when you can blast people with magic anyway? A good trick for really destroying corporate HQ runs is the invisibility spell. Makes life much easier. Actually, it makes life much easier everywhere, as it eliminates random encounters entirely, in corporate buildings or otherwise. Of course if you like random encounters, more power to you. Also, I think the infinite cash exploit is a bit unnecessary. Decking gets you tons of cash pretty quick by that point in the game, and it gets you karma, too. Give me that heavy combat armor any day. But there's one thing you never mentioned that I love about the game: Even though you can rather easily become over powered and annihilate most of the game easily, it can always kick your ass when it really wants too. Hellhounds ignore armor with their fire breath, as do other magical attacks, so you're always at risk, even when maxed out. It's a great balance of being a power trip, while still keeping you on your toes. Keep on gaming, Daria. I always enjoy your content.

I bought this game when I was 14 and had never played anything like it. I was big ok gaming, but this changed everything for me. I was so enamored with it, it got me into RPGs even though many would disappoint, comparatively. I kept going back to the well with this one. I’m in my 40s now and still own my Sega with this cartridge plugged into it 😂 Cyberpunk 2077 gets close to this game, sans magic. It’s gorgeous and the story is good, but Shadowrun on Sega will forever have a special place in my nerdy heart.

this was the best rpg game on the Genesis.

I love the new Shadowrun games and always wondered about the Genesis and SNES versions and which was more with getting into. Thanks for the rundown.

Null sweat, Chummer, G'luck in yer struggles!

I'm glad that this version of 90s shadowrun games is remembered. Whenever someone mention 90s Shadowrun, everyone talks about the snes/Jake game instead of my boy Joshua here.

Ricky is actually crazy good if you level him up from the start. As a dwarf he gets a super high maximum to his body attribute, so in the endgame he's sort of a mage-tank. I always preferred Trent though. He has a cool hat.

Consider yourself lucky, Genesis owners, because this gem never came out for european Mega Drives... I tried it out on an emulator in the early 00´s, while I came across all the William Gibson novels and got hooked instantly on the game. Greetings from Vienna, Austria!

This is my favorite of the many Shadowrun games. I found your channel through your video on Willow, I had the game as a kid and was reminded of the game by a SpeedGaming charity stream and went looking for videos about it. You definitely have a new subscriber.

Now I have to play Shadowrun: Genesis. I also have so many good memories of the game. You rock! :)

Shadowrun has one of the coolest universes ever created in P&P. It's a shame that the system in itself is incredibly clunky and conveluted. Still, I wouldn't want to miss my current campaign for a minute, so it's worthwile to put up with it for that:)

It looks great I'll give you a chance That's one reason why I like your channel You know about games

Damn to this day seeing that many lonestar cops spikes my adrenaline still lol

I used Mars a lot too. But would switch the other party members a lot. My favorite missions were getting into Corp systems and downloading hordes of random paydata. Then selling it to that data fence dude.

This game was my absolute favorite game as a kid, and I still play it periodically. I'm such a big fan of it that I made a prequel to it using the Shadowrun Dragonfall editor. It's great to see this game getting love...it deserves it.

Remember the code for the karma/Nuyen boost at the beginning? ABBACAB start I believe it was

Thank you for this. This is one of my most cherished games.

I love the superintendent and Sega Genesis games get so much love today! You make me feel like my childhood with something special

I remember renting this over and over again. It's always among the first games I emulate when I set up a new device.

Great review! Man I never thought of using spells against civilians, I always just shot them and would have to waste money on ammo, especially on the runs where you could kill Ghouls for a pretty high price and the limit would be around 20 kills, cha-ching! But of course some of the most money was made grabbing random data files off of those Square nodes... some would be worth nothing and deleted as a courtesy when trying to sell them and others would literally be worth thousands $$$. I was obsessed with this game growing up. My mom took me to a yard sale and the Sega gaming system I picked up came along with a few games; this was how I discovered Shadowrun! I loved the storyline, the expansive maps and of course the Matrix. This game brought out my inner nerd. I still work in IT today, lol. Good to know I wasn’t the only person in the world that loved this game. I think I’m going to go play now, it’s been years! Thanks!

I've been playing this game for over 20 years, and still bust it out pretty regularly when I want a fun, familiar experience. Getting my wife and kids to try the tabletop game next week!

I did not grow up with Shadowrun or a Genesis, and I agree with this top 10 and review. Just discovered the SNES version back in June, which led to Genesis, which led to Returns and Dragonfall. I'm kinda glad I played them in this order. SNES has a great story, and is a nice introduction. The world feels lived in, and the Q&A set-up helps the story come out in pieces like flash cards. Shadowrun Returns is a good follow-up in the same vein. Dragonfall is pristine. The language and dialogue options, the gameplay, the side runs, are all great. But the Genesis one is just so replayable. It may be one of my favorite Genesis games of all time. Like an early GTA. While it's a solid game itself, the simple visuals let you use your imagination to fill in the gaps! Bustling streets full of vehicles and people. Vampire hobos, ork gangers coming up behind you, secret phone calls in back alleys, trying to stay a step ahead of Lone Star AND the Yakuza... all the way up to a creepy forest full of monsters. It's got that cool 90's neon Cyberpunk shopping mall aesthetic which takes me back. Like Johnny Mnemonic or Ghost in the Shell. Plus, as you karma and cyber up, you REALLY feel like a bad-ass! I heavy grind for a maxed out Samurai/Decker combo in one, take Marrs or Stark later on, and usually have one of the mages or shaman. Yes, even Ricky. Ghoul busting in Redmond adds up. I gotta get the Fairlight Ex, anyway. The nuyen and karma by that point is up there.

*IN DEFENSE OV RICKY TEH RAT* My favorite Runner, no irony, no jest. he is cheep. you can sell the junk items you have (Sam Grenade, one BioKit. Decker: Trauma Pack, StimPack, Sham: Fetish.) hire Ricky for one mission. take courier/bodyguard runs. the don't count as jobs. they give Ricky Karma. Reasons to love Ricky: Rat! +2 to Deception spells (including the Hellhound killer Sleep), he is the only mage/shaman that can reach 7 will power. making him able to cast Rank6 FlameBolt with SpellFoci4 at Full Offencive. the Spell Foci makes the Flamebolt (usually Preditor) hit as hard as the Alliance. or at MidOffence nearly all the time. extra body means extra defence. ignores more damage so more likely for spells to go off. He is my healer with one rank in Cure Wounds and is the one who always survives the HellHound ambush while others are loading clips (Switch to Mana(choice). by the time you have a few runs and nuyen take a ghoul job. two people can do this. buy stim packs. all you can carry. (ask for detailed strats) everything redmond except the lone star undercover, Hollywood guards, and the odd halloweener do stamina damage. use 3 ov the 4 charges and sell them back. Little Chiba charges 20 to heal your stamina to 100 no matter how low it is. be cheep. embrace the rat. buy two armored jackets and get 5 Rep. talk to the Weeners. get the Contract. get the SpellFoci4. HeavyCombatArmor, do allthis before leaving the Barrens. Embrace the rat. rub its belly. feed us corn and sketti sticks.

I love the snes version, but it's likely the soundtrack that makes it more memorable for whatever reason.

One of my favorite universes, great video!

This game is awesome! I have yet to finish it. how do you avoid not being able to go anywere if you kill an enemy in the indian reservation area?

I will highly agree with you and your sentiments regarding this game. We had the Genesis from 1990 'til a flood hit back in 2012 and most of the time, this was the game I played. I was usually a samurai and didn't bother with the matrix all that often; I just enjoyed the ghoul runs and following the game story. I would most often ally myself with Stark and Mars with Mars and I equipped with shot guns while Stark had his gun and all three of us wore the $10,000 armour jackets. We were a force to be reckoned with back then. Miss this game.

Seattle has both more rain and more crime.

Great review! I never played the table top game, but I had my cousins' old Shadowrun rule book with all the art and world building, and so playing this game on Genesis was very enjoyable even though I always seemed to just run a team of three fully kitted up samurai. I should try to get into the mages and the deckers.

Yes! The best Shadowrun game of them all 😍😍.

This game is very interesting... Certain things were way ahead of their time, and I'm not just talking about the fact the story is futuristic, gameplay is very interesting, I haven't made it all the way through but it's pretty deep, and keeps you thinking. I had one person join my quest, after they got wiped out in a battle I found him in another town, he was mad, chewed me out for the fact he got beat in a battle, refused to join up again and started a fight, after the fight he said he wasn't going to join me again and would tell others not to join me 🤣😂🤣 Not sure if it affected my social status and reputation yet or not, which part of the game is managing your social status and reputation which gets you perks if you do it right, people share information with you or refuse to share information with you depending on your reputation, just one of the interesting aspects of the game.

This game was way ahead of its time

I prefer the snes game, possibly since that was the one I played as a kid, but the Genesis one is pretty great. It felt like a good Mish mash of console and PC styled RPGs of that time, which were drastically different from each other, but it fits comfortably in the middle.

Hey Daria, the Sega Genesis Version of Shadowrun was the only version I played and I was only around 10 yrs old at the time and didn't understand much of the Story, I was wondering if you know why Joshua's Brother Michael was in the Salish Shidhe Wilderness in the first place? Like what was His Mission? And do you know why He was Killed?

One of the best Genesis RPGs ever, and definitely the most unique...

I've only been lucky enough to play the TTRPG a handful of times. But I've always loved it's setting. And now I see why everyone is so hyped when they talk about their nostalgia for this game. P.S. Your countdown voice is impressive.

I just finished the game again, at 32. I love it. The game is deeply flawed, but has so much charm. The learning curve is very tough, you get wasted early on, especially in the matrix, but the grind is this game is fun man. You will have an easier time being a shaman, since magic attacks negate armor. I love that you cant sorta sequence break by doing events in different order. I love how the rep stat influences dialog and entry into key places, how you can bypass Caleb´s if you bring and elf along. How the runners interaction with you change depending on whether you do succesfull or failed runs with them. I didnt know about the Light armor trick, once im decked enough i go after red datastores on corp systems. Aztecnology being the easiest imo. Such a good game, i would love for the matrix system to be revisited, there is so much room for improvement.

Glad to see another Shadowrun fan! Daria if you ever need the services of an experienced mage, I am currently for hire. I do require my percentages for each run though.

Awesome video, I recently tried going onto the main story for the first time and while some of the back and forth is tedious, it's really exciting to see the payoff and get stronger. I tried my first extraction mission and boy those alarms are annoying. I find Ricky's invisibility spell is really useful for that. Overall a very fun game!

I also love Shadowrun all versions but I have not played Genesis version yet so now I'm looking majorly forward to it

Wow. I grew up playing the SNES version and never got the chance to play this one. I feel like I missed out big time.

I might have to pick up the Genesis version sometime. I love hearing people talk about things they're nostalgic for, so thank you for sharing this with us!

Fantastic video and fantastic comments. I've must have played this game 20 times over but the last run was my favourite. I just went with power, I grabbed Marrs and Stark, I mean who wouldn't grab Stark? He comes for free? I didn't even touch the matrix, I just went through this game like a powerhouse. I highly suggest not even paying for Micheal's stuff until you upgrade your weapon and armour otherwise you are stuck paying half of your money to medics. When you get strong and fast enough, trust Gunderson for Ghoul runs, they pay the most money plus, if you have a decker, which I usually don't, you don't have to pay the gobs of money to upgrade your deck. Love this game on the Genesis! I recently reacquired a Genesis and have this game on order, can't wait to play it!

Super good video! I've been finding emulators on my phone and playing a lot recently. Do you know of any downloads where I can actually save my progress?

I just beat this gem, I hadn't played it since the 90's (SEGA CHANNEL!) Hoi Chummer, I'm tempted to run right back into it.

Ricky is always my main man. By the end he 1-shots everyone pretty much. He's my inseparable shadowrunning buddy for life.

Maybe my favorite game on the dang console. I’ve been waiting to watch this from you. I also didn’t care too much for the SNES version. It was ok. Unlike the Windows Vista abomination that was the Xbox 360 version. Still looking forward to mastering DM’ing a Shadowrun campaign. I only ever was a player. I wanna completely base a campaign off this game.

I own the Sega Genesis Shadowrun I'm looking to pick up a copy of the SNES version as it is the first Shadowrun game i played as a rental i like both games especially because they are very different from each other.

I was young when I played this game, loved the SNES version and was curious about the Genesis version. Initially I found the graphics to be dark, muddy, and inferior sound with not really much story. However, the Genesis version is the one I still come back to the most because of the RPG elements and sort of free world you can explore. It's a bit grindy, but sometimes I like grinding! The music grew on me as well, although the "Check it out" audio sample is still abysmal but the bass lines they use in this on the Yamaha soundboard are so enjoyable great video1

I got into the Sega Genesis kinda late in its life, but Shadowrun was my absolute favorite game of the system. It seemed like no matter what class I picked, I'd always get a datajack for my character, even though a Shaman probably shouldn't be spending points in Electronics or Decking, TBH. I still remember the Blockbuster box my copy came in, as I got mine for my Birthday and the games must've been second-hand. I never really did get into the Cyberware much, though, IIRC.

Fragging great video!

Ah good old FAFSA of the 90's.. this and Battletech were my life. The early and mid sections of this game are pretty much perfection, though it does fall apart a little bit near the end of the game, IMO. But I'll never forget agreeing to hunt ghouls, saving up to buy an Ares Predator so I can kill them more easily, and using my karma to haggle better contracts. Hunting them in those abandoned, super creepy buildings, with fittingly creepy music. I got my ass kicked so many times by them.. God, I love the world of Shadowrun. I'd really love to see a legitimate reboot of this game while retaining everything that makes it great

Great video! Have you played “Shadow Returns” on PC? I’ve only played the “Dragonfall” and “Hong Kong” sequels but really liked them.

Shadowrun is easily a Top 3 Genesis game for me. I like both the SNES and Genesis versions but the Genesis one in particular is amazing. The music, atmosphere, writing, even things like the UI just exude so much character. I'd say only Syndicate 1993, Deus Ex and Shadowrun of the '90s have really nailed that cyberpunk world in the way that I really like.

This and System Shock are the two cyberpunk games I've always wanted to try. Thankfully System Shock got a good remaster recently, but as for Shadowrun I'm not sure, is the Genesis version the way to go?

one of my fave games of all time. genesis version ;) a true to heart "cyberpunk"

I wish they would have made a Shadowrun game instead of Cyberpunk 2077

This game is so great. I stumbled upon in the early 90s and I’ve revisited it multiple times. When I got my first real job I downloaded the emulator ROM. The music and atmosphere were perfect. Anyways, great video. I never knew about the infinite money hack. Though after I beat it I did use the Game Genie on another play through to max karma stats and explore the storyline. One thing you left out is the genuine fear you feel when you first find out you’ve caught the attention of Mako and the Renraku Strike Team :) /nerd appreciation off

It's my favourite too.. changed my life.. I used to write down sequence of quests, maps and other stuff.. I finished with Decker.. also couldn't save my games.. haven't had battery slot inside ☹

I wanted to own this game really badly in my teen years. Finally I met a duo of nerd brothers who had it - and a bunch of other games I never dreamed I see in my country, such as Phantasy Star 4 and Landstalker. Anyway, they lent me Shadowrun, which if I remember correctly, had manual so thick you could club someone to death with it. Unfortunately, the battery backup in the cartridge was fried, so I couldn't save my progress and never saw much beyond the beginning bit. Actually, I also borrowed their Phantasy Star 4 and their Landstalker, and the battery backups were fried on those too. I wonder what the hell they did to the damn things?

I am so with you! I LOVE the Sega version of Shadowrun and I was really hoping the remake Shadowrun returns was going to be a lot like the Sega Genesis version but it wasn't. I play the Sega Genesis version over and over on my RG350. Everything you said about the Sega game is absolutely relatable to how I feel about it. 🖤

This was a childhood favorite of mine

I absolutely love this game

You seem like someone who would thrive in a real world post apocalyptic scenario

i remember finding this game right after my first table top shadsowrun games. it bit me in the foot as all the people i was playing with became so interested in the videogame it put the tabletop game on hold for three months :(

Ricky was my maaaaain man! He gets so OP at the end, boom boom boom! Stark is my other main-man. So many other great runners that I can never choose a third for life. Freya Goldenhair tho? :O wowowow

how did I not know about this game? oh yea, because I was basically blind to RPG's until highschool.

Yes yes yes. Shadowrun genesis kicks the nes one’s butt imo. I also recently played through shadowrun returns. I really enjoy it but severely miss the genesis sandbox system of Johnson’s and hiring runners. Way more freeing and enjoyable. Hope they add more of that for future additions. Man now I gotta go play the genesis versions again...

I thought I was only one who loved this game more than the SNES version

I also still play this game. I love it very much! Winston Marrs all day!

Still waiting despondently for the Sega CD version's translation patch.

One of my favorite games ever. You did a great job with explaining why you liked it. When I first played shadowrun I had no idea what it was. So everything was new to me. I was 15 or so when I played it and just fell in love with the world. Getting random encounters as I'm walking the streets, stealing data, and just the different characters in the game really drew me in. I did really like the super Nintendo version too. First time I ever heard of a cortex bomb. I found out there were novels after the video games and then found out about the table top. I collected almost all the novels. Just love the corporate espionage aspect. I'm making a cyberpunk game called visualhacker2D. Still along way to go.

I beat the SNES version last year and now I'm tackling this one. The look, sound, and overall atmosphere is so gripping.

2:30 my brother got my into shadowrun, ironically his name is michael and got me into it lol. Seen him play the snes version, this one is better I feel. In terms of all the customizations and the combat, all the missions you can do. I gotta play this again man its been a while

You've definitely opened up my eyes to this game. I really didn't know much about it, but it looks like there is some seriously unique and untouched ideas here. I also like this type of video, just explaining why you love a game so much. I might have to try it sometime. But now for the big question! How much did you enjoy Nightshade!?

As an old school 2nd ed player who now runs 5th and soon 6th on the tabletop I totally agree with you. The Sega version was awesome and I've played through it like a broken record for years. It rules. SNES version was more adventure game and was great but the Sega version was best. Big thumbs up.

Best end team: PSA. buy cyberware BEFORE you upgrade your stats. if you max a stat then buy cyberwar to up the stat. its useless. PSA Joshua Gater Shaman 3 wired reflexes (buy the spells you use again after you get augmented. DONT drop below 1.0 ess). Heavy combat armor, Electronics 8. Sorcery 12. SpellFocus 4, CombatFoci4 ProtectFoci4 you now cast twice as fast as you used to and can use guns if you want. being the main getting all this before leaving Redmond. if ou don't use spells don't worry the shaman becomes the best samurai with the combat foci 'increasing effectiveness' and 'reducing all physical damage' that's extra D and A the samurai cant get. if you don't want to cast at all (twice as fast ManaBolt is fun!) you can take the essence how ever you want. personally I find 2 wired, 2 muscle, 1 dermal, (.4~ left over) makes you fast as 3 wired reflexes with guns and a little tougher. but remember you cannot cast if you drop below 1.0 essance. Marrs: 4 muscle replacement, 3 dermal plates, data jack (yes), cybereyes, claws. focus on strength body quickness and melee combat. a decker that can tank black ice till it just gives up. (Other): I suggest tricky. buy him one run at a time. take every job available. good rep good negotiate you can get 3g a ghoul run with 2Karma coming from the 20 ghouls and 1Karma from the run. you will reach Rep5 and 40g fast (upper right hand corner till 3 spanwns come. then bottom right room up and down till 4 or five spawns run... .repeat for 20) if you took Ricky with you around the money runs not just for ghoul back up he is powerful and can go full offensive on fireDart rank 6 if you want to have armor (read be invincible for the rest of the game) before you leave redmond

I enjoyed the recent Shadowrun reboot in addition to enjoying the Genesis & Snes games. Have you tried Shadowrun Returns? Another interesting feature of Shadowrun Returns is how it ties the SNES and Genesis plots together.

Enter the following code at the Title Screen.... A - B - B - A - C - A - B Then go into the pocket secratary, below the Save/Load is a blank line. Go into that option and you can unlock some awesome cheats!

The video came in as one of my recommendations, it's just nice that the video is about one of my favorite game for Sega saturn, together with shining force 1&2. I enjoyed both shadowrun tho, both Sega and SNES ones As each came with their own game play, it was interesting tbh. Anyways nice video, and I do hope people will understand the greatness and the beauty of 8bits and 16bits games ❤️

Happy trails chumer

its refreshing to hear of a fellow sega shadowrun nerd xD. i just beat shadowrun returns and even though it was good, it still doesn't hold a candle to the sega version. anyways, good points all around, and g'luck in ya struggles XD

Actually Ricky is probably the better magic guy to have on the team. Solely because of less miss firing the invisiblity. While invisible nothing can get to you while walking about: hell hounds, security, mages, etc. Must be the power of Rat.

Lot of 'love one, hate the others' in the comments. All the games had their good/bad points. IMHO the Genesis version had the best actual role play and mechanics, and WAY better cyberspace. But the SNES had more dialog and story. Both to me had great music even tho the SNES, once again IMHO, was way more capable in the sound department in the 16 bit era. Then SR Returns came along a few years ago and personally I found it wonderfully enjoyable. Sure, wasn't perfect, but was a nice leap forward in story telling, battle system, and general mechanics on a whole. The team that made Returns even said they were trying to make it as much a tool for DMs to make their own content as it was an actual campaign to play for gamers who bought it. Either way, hopefully we could at least all agree that Shadowrun was a pretty wonderful and fascinating role playing world for it's mix of tech & magic, humans and mystical creatures, blended so well that nothing really seemed out of place. I'm happy for the electronic versions they made as I was never able to find anyone that played the tabletop version locally. Regardless, this was one heck of a rant considering it will probably never been seen by anyone as this video is close to pushing 2 years old LOL. Rock on anyone who reads this and I hope your 2021 is 1000X better than anyone's 2020 was!

I wish there would be a video tutorial on hacking in the Sega Genesis version of Shadowrun.

The melee combat cyberware is bugged to high hell. I just did a few part series about explaining it. I wish those bugs didn't exist.

Shall we be seeing any more videos anytime soon?

Pressing Abbacab during start up when it says shadowrun is a cheat I still remember. It's a cheat menu with lots of options

The less said about the xbox shadowrun the better.

Such a classic gem for the sega along with the phantasy stars.. 2 of the all time best 16bit era rpgs i played as a young lad

I fucking loved this game in junior high..... Played it on Sega channel.. Lol